The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1887-10-19
THE HUNT BOLT.
Judge Whites Defense OF Gen. Nichols
Participation Therein.
New Orleans States.

Judge Z. d. White, from the meagre report
of his speech at Mansfield, received here. ap
of the Hunt bolt i'll 1854, in the First Dis
trict. and Of Gen. Nichols participation
therein. Indeed, his apology for the eX-Gov
ernor, that he made but two speeches In sup
Democratic candidate for Congress, is very
much like that of the unfortunate young
woman who. being reproached by q stald ana
pious lady for certain lndlscretion. blush
ingly looking at the lovely. eRInnt ndtue',
''such little one"
The truth is, as the States has declared it
before, that Gov. Nicholls, as the leader OF
the Reformers and Gov. Warmoth as their
Republican ally in that campaign, constitu-
inspired it with life: they gave, it cohesion
and courage, and Gen. Nichols himself gave
it prestige thatit was assumed would shield
it from any attack as an act OF party treason.
Gen. Nichols may have made but two
speeches for the boilers; but it is none the
less true that his alliance with them gave
them a strength that, at one time, threatened
the autonomy of the Democratic party IN
these two Congressional districts. Ot his
participation in that moveme 1T Gen. Nichols
never has made any satisfactory defense.
He has made perhaps twenty-five or thirty
speeches, but he has invariably steered clear
of any reference to his connection with this
notorious attempt to defeat the regular can
through the influence and agency OF some OF
t-Io very men who are now supporting him,
and on whom he relies to carry this city Ill
his interest.
Judge White has essayed several accounts
of this business, but in every instance he has
SO baked and stumbled and confused his
| narrative that he ha. made the case the worse
| for Gen. Nichols His defense at Mansfield
| was unquestionably the most remarkable and
amusing of his efforts on this line.
in hi sud of tha nyapt
number of speeches dc by Gen. Nichols
against the Democratic party in tho bolt III
the First District in 1884, Judge White went
on to explain that in 1854 Mr. Hunt repre-
seEted the First District; that rnmor wa, was
| in circnl4 ton thntS1 0, 900 or s12, 900 had
been paid by some one else to secure the nom
ination. He could nos say, mark the words,
whether this was true or not" Continuing,
| the Judge tells liz this rumor' that neither
he nor any one else knew to be true or false,
this rumor, set on foot by the Radical CORE
srondent of a Radical newspaper, hadcreatcd
| great discomfort and "a reyoltn-that is. the
Hunt bolt-in the party.
Before quoting Judge White further, let us
PEELED to set up FOR Gen. Nichols and his fe.-
Iow-boIters in 1854. OF course, Judge
| Whites explanation and defense of this
political episode is Gen: Nichols explanation
and defense of it.. The Judge, is the Gov
errors most Intimate friend and confidential
| advisor; he is really in this canvass Gov.
| Nichols spokesman. He travels with his
| chief, settles all the points OF this canvass
with him, and it is absolutely certain that
they are in complete harmony and perfect
understanding with each other on every is
sue discussed before the people. Conceding
this then 20 BIZ true. Gov Nichols, through
| his spokesman Judge White, broadly con-
| fesses that, i'll 1884, he boited q regular
organization o. reformers and Republicans,
under Warmoth and other Radical leaders,
in an effort to defeat a regular Democratic
candidate for Congress. Aud on what
| grounds? Not that the candidate Wa TN
worthy: Gov. Nichols has himself been COM
PEELED to testify to his worth as man and
citizen and to his lifelong Democracy; not
| because there was any proof, or even a
reasonable presumption, that the convention
was actually influenced by corrupt agencies;
| never was nomination SO clearly a spon-
taneous and patriotic act, done to harmon
that Of Col St Eafln b. ths FIRST Dsr Ct
Convention of 1884. The confession of
regular nomination and sought to defeat a
| Democratic candidate for one of the most
responsible positions under our government,
| and at The most perlious crlnis of our conn
try and party, solely and simply on the
| strength OF rnmOr, set on foot by Radical
correspondent whose business it was to hunt
up and invent any and every possible defam-
atory story rejecting upon the leaders and
| mana cement of the Democratic party in Lou
| isisna; u bastard rumor that could find no
| Radical newspaper: rllmor that was never
| proved or even Investigated, which Gov.
Nichols confcsses, through Judge White, he
could not say was true or false, and which is
| now known to hsre been absolutely false and
| without foundation.
The States has, during this canvass, made
the Democracy of Louisiana acquainted with
many of the features of the Hunt bolt: Gov.
Nichols has now given the people his defense
| of II and OF his participant ton therein. What
| do the Democrats of Louisiana think Of that
| defense? Persons in o private station may
be excused for sometimes indnlging their
personal feeling ct the expense of their party
fealty: but no man who wears that fealty so
loosely that he can bolt his party in serious
crisis, under even the most aggravating cir
cumstances, is fit for a party leader, much
less Is he worthy to carry the banner of the
| Democracy whenhe does not hesitate to bolt
a Democratic nomination on, the strength OF
a mere ,rumor, set adrift by malicious
enemy OF his party and people.
| And this 'runor, " of the truth or falsity
OF which the Spokesman OF Coy. Nichols
comedies he knew nothing, he tellsus, created
discomfort in the. psrty, and that it was that
discomfort that the Hunt movement was de.
signed to allay.
Gov. Nichols and Judge White, it seems
Us, have. strange and original methods of
allaylng dissent ons in a political party
|
effective connections, and any rebel against
party discipline, or any enemy of the party,
might bring confusion to its counSels and
! defeat to its principles by inventing and set-
ting attoat some iniquitous and lying Islander
about its leaders. In short. harmonizing by
snch methods would break up the party.
This. is the trne theory, however, of the
| rule or RUM faction, and such men, how.
ever sincere and honest they may be in their
opinions, should never be entrusted with
leadership.
But Judge Whites assertion that the
| Radical ''rnmor" referred to created dissen-
| tons In the Democratic party and led to the
Hunt bolt is simply absurd. Whatever dis-
se2tlons existed in the party originated long
before che Radical correspondent of the New
York Times inyented the story that the nomi-
nation in the First District hal been sold.
The discomfort out of which the Hunt bolt
sprung was the heart-burning, personal dis
content experienced by Mr.. Hunt indivi;lu-
| discovered that there was not the shadow Of
| q chance for him to obtain a denomination at
| the hands of the regular convention:
this rnmor was then seized upon as
most f!msy and inexcusable excuse
Tor an independent movement, or, in
other words, bolt. There was nothing else
at the bottom of the Hunt movement: there
was no party discomfort it could pos
slnly aliay, there was no party eyieency that
called for IT, It had no other origin than the
| 't'PNsSIbIo VI MI i1uiit 10 Dt re-
elected 10 Congress. This WAS it's raiso,t
| d'Gtre and Judge White cannot gull the peo-
| pie with the preposterous assertion, that any
| discomfort whatever in the Democratic Iarty
OF the first. or any other district, was created
| by TINS one ont OF Thousand of the rumOrs
and lies set atioat by malignant Radical cor
respondents, and which bolt or any other
eNTadlrary step WAS necessary to allay.
| That grave discomfort did exist in the party
III lSS4 Ii anqueStionabiy true. Indeed, at
4l,.t,a y,it
| the Safe would be lost to the Democratic
| party. There was profound apathy in many
influential quarters threatening utter de.
moral cation. The reform wing of the party
| took literally no Interest III the election,
| ~. f..t h MI Il l..